I Know Baby
by AdventureBound
Summary: Short little fic-a-let with 7 year old Alan having a down day and Jeff trying to comfort him, father/son mushy stuff inside!


**A/N: Age range isn't really important in this minature fic-a-let as it mainly focuses on Alan and Jeff anyway and as we can see at the beginning it feeds away the age :-)**

**Also this was written a few nights ago when I was feeling a bit low and even though I proof read the character's are possibly way OFF.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Alan was 7 years old and a little rowdy for his age, the other – older boys – were really starting to get into the 'Thunderbirds' and he…Well he was getting left behind. Sitting in his room leaning back against the dresser Alan watched the older boys run past the room as he heard their dad calling them each by name, but never his.<p>

"Come on Mr Alan don't sit there all doom and gloom you know nothing ever got accomplished by doing nothing." Kyrano said as he approached the young boy but Alan was in no mood, he got up ran straight past Kyrano and out of the porch door down the steps, past the pool down some more steps and down to the beach. He wished he could run further but his feet always stopped as soon as the water got up past his knee.

"I hate you." He said to the ocean, walking backwards until he fell back on his bum and sat in the sand looking for stones to throw.

~~/`/`~~

"Mr. Tracey." Kyrano said trying not to interrupt his training session with the boys.

"What is it Kyrano?" Jeff asked walking over to him smiling.

"It's not me Mr. Tracey it's Alan again…"

"Where's he gone this time?" Jeff sighed a little sometimes he forgot that Alan felt left out, sometimes his mind caught up hours later when it was too late.

"Dad!" Virgil called from across the room where the boys were waiting besides half built machines.

"Just a second boys!" Jeff called.

"He just ran out on me, he's getting too quick for me to keep up with."

"Ha! I never would have thought that. Okay just let him go as soon as I'm done with the boys I'll go look for him, he can't have gone far."

~~/`/`~~

"I'll show them!" Alan said as he stormed off down the beach front looking for somewhere to hide, it'd be fateful even if he did Jeff had camera's, sensors and all sorts of equipment around this island, enough to hear a mouse sneeze.

"Hey sprout where you going?" Jeff asked grabbing his arm suddenly and out of nowhere. Alan was spun to face him.

"Hey!" Jeff grabbed the tops of his arms. "I'm your dad come on talk to me buddy."

"Why bother dad you never listen anyway."

"Hey, I try okay?"

"You're always busy you never have time for me it's always the others and always the Thunderbirds!"

"I'm sorry Alan but you know how important my work is to me."

"I'm not important to you."

"Yes you are." Jeff got down on one knee. "Alan you and your brothers are the single most important things to me in my life. I love you all equally."

"Leave me alone!" Alan pulled out of his grasp and ran.

"Whoa where are you going?" Scott said as he approached the pair on the beach. "What's eating him?" Scott asked their father. Jeff stood and spun to see where he was going.

"Kids." He put his hands on his hips.

"I wasn't that bad was I?" Scott looked at him but Jeff kept his eye on Alan till he could see him no more.

"You were worse."

"Hey!" Scott looked at him quizzically.

"Kidding." Jeff laughed.

"You want I should go have a word?"

"No this is something he and I need to deal with, go get the boys and get them training on the specs for Thunderbird 3."

"Okay." Scott smiled and took off. Jeff followed his youngest. Whatever it was that was eating Alan Jeff hated that he'd never forgive himself for thinking it was just his age.

~~/`/`~~

After searching for a while Jeff found him locked away in the basement. "Alan?" Jeff asked in the darkness.

"Go away!" A voice came, this time clearly upset. He was so like his mother it was unreal.

Jeff flipped on the light switch only just catching hold of Alan's shirt as he tried to whiz past him once again. "Okay enough running I'm getting to old for running." He was also starting to sound a lot like Kyrano.

"Leave me alone!" Alan shouted.

"Is that what you really want?" Jeff bent down again to his level "You want my attention Alan you have it!"

Alan backed off and found himself up against a wall.

"I'm sorry you feel left out Alan I really am." Jeff tried.

"I love you so much and if I call the boys to do things on Thunderbirds and not you it's not because I don't think your good enough or smart enough or because I don't think you can do it, its because their older than you are and…"

"That's not my fault!" Alan was getting upset.

"I know baby and we can't change that their older than you but I don't want you getting hurt you're not ready for this yet a couple more years and I'll teach you about the Thunderbirds."

"But they'll always be one step ahead."

"Yes." Jeff replied honestly he wasn't going to lie to his youngest.

"I wish I was never born!" Alan shouted to Jeff hurtfully and Jeff stared at him for a long few moments before he got up and walked out of the basement leaving Alan on his own to cry.

~~/`/`~~

The following days were awkward to say the least Jeff rarely got to schedule, his mind was often wandering and he barely touched his food. Alan knew he was the cause but whether he meant it or not he wanted to fix him, he would always be his dad.

Stepping into his father's office Alan peeked around the corner and saw him staring at a photo album. Walking over slowly Alan stopped at his father's desk, but Jeff didn't look up.

"Dad?" Alan asked feeling more than guilty for what he'd said.

Jeff never replied.

"Dad?" Alan asked again this time with concern.

Again Jeff didn't reply just fingered the photograph behind the screen in the photo album.

Pushing the piece of paper onto his father's desk he'd hand made a 'sorry daddy' card with different colour crayons and wrote inside "I'm sorry for making you upset daddy I love you."

He still didn't look up and so Alan turned and with his head lowered he walked towards the door. "Alan…" Jeff said softly, Alan stopped and looked back his dad was reading the card.

Putting down the photo album Jeff got up and went across to his son, kneeling down in front of him with the hand made card in his hand he looked at Alan for a long moment.

"I love you too very much."

Alan dived at his father Jeff wasn't expecting it but carefully wrapped his arms around his son and held him to his chest whilst he cried.

"It's okay." Jeff soothed knowing it wouldn't be the first or last time they made each other upset or angry.

"I love you daddy."

"I know baby, I know."

~~/`/`~~

END.


End file.
